Beautiful Stranger
by taciturnstream
Summary: Bella leaves for college in Washington D.C. and who does she meet but a beautiful stranger on her plane ride over. alternate universe and all-human.
1. We are a Fever

Bella gazed at her ceiling willing the work to do it by itself. I heaved a sigh and rolled out of my bed. Hitting my knee on the nearest box I cursed out loud. Being a klutz never seemed to have its advantages. I scooped up the offending item and threw it in the corner with the other closed boxes of all my stuff

I would be lying to say I wasn't excited to go to college. The only qualms I had about leaving had to do with my father Charlie and how he was going to fend for himself. Sure, he was able to take care of himself until I had moved in with him when I was seventeen, but I was still skeptical how he managed to accomplish that feat.

I was leaving for college in less then three hours. I probably should finish packing. This was always my problem throughout high school and my life: procrastination. I threw the rest of my junk and placed my books carefully in the last box and taped it up securely. Most of this stuff was getting shipped to Georgetown. I didn't feel like carrying a bunch of suitcases with me while trying to navigate the streets of Washington D.C.

I walked down the stairs of my modest home and was overcome with my gratefulness at my lack of social life in high school that enabled me to study extra hard so that I was able to acquire the scholarship from one of the greatest colleges in the U.S.

Charlie and I said a quick good bye hoping to bypass the tears that were uncomfortable for the both of us. I got into the cab that was to take me to the airport. I had a long plane ride from Forks, Washington to Washington D.C.

I was dressed in comfortable clothes that seemed to be my normal attire. A t-shirt and jeans was my favorite outfit. It's not like you could go wrong, unless you were a girly fashion person who liked to always look good. That particular sentiment didn't really bother me so I had no problem with ignoring "girl standards".

Once I got on the plane, I had been rather pleased with myself that I had not tripped throughout the time it took to get through the airport and to my gate. Of course, right when I was thinking this, my foot caught on someone's bag in the aisle of the plane and caused me to go head first into the person in front of me. I was dreading when I would hit the person but all I felt were warm, strong arms wrap around me and keep me grounded, in the literal sense. Because as soon as I looked up into the eyes of my catcher, my stomach started doing flips and I started to feel a little lightheaded.

He had the greenest eyes I had ever seen, like the moss on the roots of trees in Forks. Sounds cliché to compare them to fungus that lived everywhere where I came from, but that was the first thing to pop up in my now scrambled head.

"I'm so sorry" the beautiful man said to me.

I gaped back but was lucky enough to choke out a "Well, unfortunately that's the usual in my two left footed life."

"My bag shouldn't have been that far out, it's entirely my fault for tripping you." I noticed his voice couldn't have sounded more soft or velvety.

"Don't worry about it; you seemed to make up for the minor infraction by catching me before I went flying into anyone"

He chuckled lightly at this and said, "It was the least I could do after all".

I observed that I seemed to be holding up the line and quickly said my thanks again and went after me seat. It turns out I was on the aisle seat two rows behind and across from him. He happened to be on the aisle also, which gave me a perfect view of him. I decided this might be a bad thing during the plane ride.

He stood up and my eyes were immediately drawn to him, just like I was afraid they would be. He reached above into the overhead compartment to get something out of his bag. I couldn't help but notice the way his arms strained to get into his bag above him even though I had noted earlier how tall he seemed. I guessed about 6' 2". In other words: hot, sexy height for a male.

I was a little bit confused with my reaction over this guy because I never seemed to be terribly interested in the type of guys that littered Forks. Then again, maybe that was the problem, they wasn't much of a pile to pick from. I was a little horrified to know that my standards to get a guy to catch my attention seemed to be a little higher then the average girls' considering this seemed to be a god in human form.

I let my eyes rove appreciatively up his body with his perfect fitting jeans up his torso encased in a plain t-shirt that hugged his arms nicely and up to his flawless face where a head of unruly, bronze hair sat. I gave a small sigh at his physical perfection and then reflected on his kindness toward me earlier when I had tripped. Maybe being a klutz wasn't that bad when you could have this guy catching you. He had to be too good to be true. Not that it really mattered seeing as I doubt we would ever see each other again after the plane ride. It then occurred to me that he was going to Washington D.C. also since this was a non-stop flight. My stomach made the flip again at the thought of him being in the same city as me for any amount of time.

He seemed to sense my eyes on him because he turned to look at me and realized I was staring blatantly at him. He gave a small wave and smiled before he settled back into his chair with his items from the bag he just got. They were a pair of reading glasses and a book.

I inwardly groaned at the thought that he liked reading as much as me. I had a sudden urge to find out what he was reading. Of course I was too much of a coward to ask him. I used the excuse that I didn't want to disturb him.

Instead I got my ipod and book out of my own bag. I was reading Crime and Punishment for the 6th time. I couldn't help but get lost in Dostoyevsky's way of creating someone's thought process through a crime and subsequently their punishment. My ipod was turned to Kings of Leon so I could drown out the hum of the airplane. I was luckily able to waste half of the flight just listening to my ipod and reading until I saw a pair of feet come into my peripheral vision on the floor next to my chair. I looked up in reaction to see a creepy guy leering at me from above. He shifted his eyes back to the bathrooms and to me again in what I understood to be an offering to join the mile high club. I shook my head embarrassed to think that I looked like someone to even be interested in that.

Luckily, the person who had been in the back of my mind the whole plane ride then came into view. "Wow, it seems that not getting seats next to my girlfriend really didn't work out since I can't seem to keep guys off you."

The other guy looked confused at my beautiful savior. I'm sure I had a stunned expression myself until I wiped it clean to play along with his game. "Yeah" I said to the creeper, "I'm taken". He walked off with a huff. I couldn't help giggle a little at the awkward events that had just transpired.

"I'm Edward, Edward Cullen." My beautiful stranger slash savior said to me.

"I'm Bella Swan."

"It's nice to meet you girlfriend of mine" he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Well I'm just glad you finally showed up…" I answered back. "You seem to be doing a nice job of helping me out without even knowing me."

"Don't let it get around," he whispered conspiratorially, "But I happen to like being nice to beautiful women." I blushed at his compliment; I wasn't exactly use to them.

"What are you reading?" he seemed to blurt out. I told him and his eyes lightened. "I love that book" he said. It made me glow inside to know that he liked something I was into. "What are you listening to?" he asked. I told him Kings of Leon and he looked shocked. "Wow, two for two, I think I like you even more then when you tripped over my strategically placed luggage into my arms."

I gaped, "What! That was on purpose?"

"I'm just kidding, I really am sorry about that" he said repentantly.

"No matter" I replied. There seemed to be a line forming behind him so he excused himself back to his seat. I watched him go with an irrational sense of loss.

The plane was making its descent now so everyone had to get back into their seats and buckle up. Once the plane had taxied and everyone was on their way to get off the plane, I realized that Edward hadn't started off the plane yet. As soon as I was next to him he slid out right behind me.

"I figured if you fell again I could always catch you" he said from behind me.

"Perfect" I replied with a hint of sarcasm in my voice since I didn't really want to make a fool out of myself again. We made our way off the plane and down to the baggage claim. Right as he was about to say something, a streak of black came hurtling toward him and caught him around the waist. I then realized it was a short but beautiful woman probably the same age as me. My heart sank a bit knowing that this was probably his girlfriend.

"Edward I have missed you so much even though I just saw you a couple weeks ago but the gang has also missed you and we haven't hung out since the last time we were all together and this year of college is going to be so fun and I cant wait" the little thing said.

She said all of that in one breath and I was thoroughly impressed.

"Alice come down, take a breath, we have a whole year to catch up. And this is Bella; I met her on the plane. She's going…. Actually, I don't know where you're headed Bella" Edward said.

"Georgetown, I'm a freshman" I answered back

"Oh my gosh, what a coincidence, we go there also, we are now sophomores now though." Alice screeched. "I'm Edward's sister, well adopted considering you would have to be insane to see any resemblance in the two of us but other than that.." she trailed off when she noticed Edward's glare

"Alice you are going to scare her off with your intense amount of energy. Look she already looks frightened" he noted.

"No, no, I'm fine really it was just a long flight" I tried to wipe my face of any emotion. Either the frightened like he had mentioned would show on my face or the relief when she said she was his sister. The conversation drifted into silence.

"Well, I better get going, I have freshman orientation and everything." I said to them both.

"We will probably see you around Bella, I hope we see each other soon" Alice said sincerely. I could tell that it would be easy to be friends with her. Edward was staring at me like he wanted to say something but quickly smiled and said he would see me around.

As I walked to catch a cab, I could have sworn I could here Alice chastising him about not getting my number. But then again, it was probably just wishful thinking.


	2. Better Together

**All of the characters are Stephenie Meyer's **

I was officially exhausted. The orientation itself had been fun and a little grueling but it was nothing compared to the first week of school. Maybe I should have reconsidered going to a ridiculously competitive and intelligent college. Oh well, I liked a challenge and this was a perfect presentation of one.

My roommate was a quiet girl named Angela. All in all I liked her for her kind, soft nature. I could tell we would get along really well.

Unfortunately, I had yet to recognize Alice or Edward anywhere. I figured they had an apartment or something.

I was secretly disappointed that Edward and I didn't have any classes, but I guess that shouldn't have surprised me considering he was a sophomore.

When it came to Georgetown and even the city of Washington D.C., I noticed that they were not in short supply of hot males. Everywhere I seemed to go I saw good looking guys. Whether they were really smart or an amazing athlete I couldn't tell, but I would be happy to get to know any of them.

Then again, Edward always seemed to be in the back of my mind, and I found myself more often than not comparing guys to his features.

Boy this can't be healthy.

I was currently walking down to the metro where I would go down to peruse the national monuments. Their beauty made me relaxed. And it was a great place to walk and think.

I went to the Lincoln Memorial first and stood on its steps looking out at the Washington Monument. I closed my eyes against the rare sun when a body stood over me casting a shadow.

I glanced up to see none other than the person I was thinking about at that moment: Edward.

"Hey, shouldn't you stay off the stairs? It's a prime spot for tripping if you don't have someone to keep you stable" he said to me with a smirk on his face.

"Ha Ha, aren't you funny? I am perfectly capable of walking up and down stairs under normal circumstances" I replied a little bit indignantly.

"Well, I don't really want to test that theory of yours so how about I stay with you?" he asked quietly.

He looked nervous to me and I wondered how a god like this could be unsure of himself.

"I guess I could sacrifice my solitude for a safetyguard of sorts…"

"Perfect. So what brings you down here on this beautiful day?" he asked me.

"I like it here. It's beautiful in its magnificence and even though it's crowded, I somehow feel content in the serenity of it all" I told him.

"That's exactly how I feel about it" He said a little stunned.

We sat there for a couple of minutes just in silence and enjoying the people watching and each other's company.

He then got up and held his hand out to me. "How about we go to get some lunch? I'm kind of hungry"

"Sure, I was just thinking about that" I told him.

"So where did you want to go?" he asked.

"I don't care; I don't know the city as well as you considering I haven't been here as long" I replied.

"Hmmm, well there is this great place up by the Capitol Building. Do you like German food?" he questioned.

"I love it".

"Perfect, it has the best food, c'mon lets go" he pulled me down the steps.

He must have forgotten for the moment that I was the complete klutz and immediately stumbled into his back until he turned around to catch me more securely. He chuckled and mumbled his apologies while I glowered at his back.

Then again I'm not sure it's easy to stay mad at him when his large, warm hand was encased in mine. I couldn't help but notice how strong but not grossly huge or buff it was. It had calluses on it which made me wonder what they were from. Sports? Instruments? I couldn't be sure. All I knew was how good his hand fit with mine.

He continued to wander through the crowd at the memorial until we reached the easier path that wasn't as crowded. He let go of my hand since he wasn't navigating us through people anymore. I watched it go with a sense of melancholy.

Then I realized how ridiculous I was being, considering I was still going to lunch with him. The Capitol Building was a pretty far walk that we filled with easy conversation. We talked about insignificant things mostly. Things like where I grew up, which was in the same town as him, but considering I never went out I never met him.

He would glance at me sideways sometimes when I would say something sarcastic or pessimistic.

He would laugh when my bitterness for life showed through.

He told me to lighten up a few times which I would grumble my response which would cause him to laugh.

I tried to make a point of making him laugh because I loved the smooth, velvety sound of his laugh. Whether it was a chuckle or a guffaw it was beautiful coming from his lips. Heck, everything was.

I would ask him trivial questions like his favorite food and movie just to hear him talk more. Plus I enjoyed the spotlight on him more than me.

As we casually strolled by, I couldn't help but notice all the girls staring at him. It could have been a fifteen year old to a forty year old but their mouths all seemed to hang slightly open as they appreciated the male specimen next to me.

I gave a few of the ones my age stare downs. Which I might add, is completely out of my character but I was feeling rather selfish when it came to Edward. I wanted him for myself. Obviously.

We eventually made it to the restaurant which was called Café Berlin. It was adorable. Most of the seats were outside which made it cute. The waitresses were German which added to the ambience of it.

Even when we sat down our conversation didn't seem to stutter. We continued in the easy flow of our banter. I found myself more and more entranced with the man sitting in front of me if that was even possible.

"So what is your favorite book?" I asked curiously. I wanted to know what he was reading on the plane still.

"Umm, that's tough to pick one, but I guess _Notes from Underground _by Dostoyevsky_" _he answered.

"Oh, so you are an existentialism fan?" I wondered.

"Yeah"

"I love Simone de Beauvoir. But why did you give me so much crap for being bitter? You hypocrite" I laughed.

He laughed along. "I just wanted to see how long you could keep it up, it amused me."

"Oh, well that's what I am here for right? Your amusement? Hmmm?" I taunted him.

"Yeah, that's probably why I want to keep you around." He answered deadpan.

I chuckled at his response. I figured I had been feisty enough as it was and couldn't really find a fast enough response.

"Well, I would deem that with a witty comeback but I guess you are too dazzling" I mumbled mostly to myself.

He seemed to have heard it since he smirked at me with a crooked smile and asked, "So I am dazzling am I?"

"Oh shut up, like you didn't know" I snapped back at him.

He laughed heartily at this, which made me smile in response to his musical laugh. I shook my head at him which made him stare at me with a confused smile on his face.

"What?" I asked. I was getting uncomfortable with him staring.

"You know you are just as disconcerting to me" he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yeah whatever" I brushed the comment off. Like I could ever have the same effect on him that he had on me.

He paid for the check at my protest but the waitress had already taken his card. I glared at him.

"What kind of date would I be if I didn't pay? My mother would be appalled" he flippantly remarked.

My mind was reeling. He just said date. Wait. What did that mean? Was this a date? Don't those have to be premeditated? I didn't know what to think. I would be fine if we were on a date but was too embarrassed to ask. I think I blushed at this thought.

He smirked at me as if he knew what I was thinking. He probably did, he seemed to say things like this to get a reaction out of me.

Once he got his card back he stood up with his hand out to me. I put my hand into his warm, inviting hand again and followed him out onto the street. Luckily, there was a metro station in the old Post Office not far from the restaurant so we went to catch a train.

I noticed once he let go of my hand that he proceeded to put his hand on the small of my back to lead me where we were headed. Normally I would be annoyed but since it was him all I did was curse the shirt I was wearing that kept me from feeling his hand on my skin.

Whoa. Where did that come from?

Oh dear, I'm getting in too deep.

We hopped on the train that took us back to the nearest station to Georgetown.

He asked where my dorm was so he could walk me to it but I told him it wasn't necessary. He insisted and pushed until I finally consented. He took me to my floor where we stopped right outside my door.

"I had a really good time today" I smiled at him.

"Me too, I'm glad I ran into you. Figuratively, of course" he replied.

"So, I guess I will see you around. Thanks again for lunch. It was delicious" I stated kind of awkwardly.

"Yeah, um actually…" he was stuttering, "I was wondering if I could get you number? I mean I want to see you again since I had such a fun time" he looked down. "And Alice has brought you up a couple of times that she wants to hang out with you" he added as an afterthought.

"OH, yeah that would be great, she seemed really nice. Here's my number" I grabbed a pen from inside and wrote on his hand.

He smiled at his hand before giving me a kiss on the cheek and walking away thanking me again for my company that day.

I think I was in a daze. I couldn't believe how pathetic it was that he turned me into a pile of mush with just a kiss on the cheek. I stood there until some noise woke me up and I went inside to lie on my bed and think about the days curious events.


	3. Revelry

**Sorry for the long wait. I have a life. It's as simple as that. And this is for Rochelle.**

**I don't own any of this, just the random plot.**

I woke up next morning to the blaring of my alarm clock. Gah, why the one class I am forced to take has to be at 9 o'clock in the morning I will never know.

Stupid science class. Why didn't my AP class from high school transfer?

Get up get up get up.

Time to take a shower.

I ran down the hall to take a hasty shower. Once I had dressed in my standard jeans and a sweater combo, I left quickly in order to find some coffee. Today I was in dire need of it.

I decided to go to the local coffee shop on campus for convenience, and while I was in line I heard my name from across the room. Strange. I don't have many friends yet.

I turned just in time to see a swirl of dark brown hair seemingly fly in my direction and latch itself around my waist.

"Oh my gosh, Bella, I haven't seen you in forever. Why don't we have any classes together? Have you met anyone really cool yet? I mean, not cooler than me obviously but you know," Alice practically yelled at me.

"Um, actually not really" I seemed to speak with a much lower, slower tone than she, obviously not used to the early time.

"Seriously? C'mon I know you were with my cousin yesterday, didn't he have the decency to introduce you to anyone?" she asked curiously.

"Well, actually, we were around the city, it's not like we were by the school or saw anyone. We had lunch and stuff…" I awkwardly replied.

"Wait, you mean you were with each other like the whole day?" she inquired.

"Yes" I didn't see the problem with this and was confused as to why she seemed surprised. Did Edward tell her he hated me or something?

"Wow, I just know that Edward tends to have very little patience and gets bored pretty easily. You must have entertained him well" she gave me a wink.

Creepy.

"We just talked".

"Uh huh, yea that's great. Anyway, we need to set up a hang out day. What are you doing this weekend?" she seemed to blow off my previous answer as if it wasn't that important to her.

I thought about hanging out with her. She was really nice, and I loved her energy, so it would be fun to spend some time getting to know her. Maybe she could introduce me to some more people since she obviously had no shy factor to her. Then again, there was that nagging feeling in my brain wishing that Edward and I had set up a more formal date. However, he might be wherever Alice took me…

"Yeah sure, sounds fun" I replied.

"Great, we can go to Georgetown and get dinner and see what we wanna do from there. You don't mind if I bring a couple of friends do you? I want you to meet some of them," she said with such a puppy dog face that I wouldn't be able to resist even if I was against the idea.

"Absolutely no problem"

"Yay, well I will let you get back to your coffee. You look like you need it. Here's my number" she took my mobile and programmed it in.

"Call me on Saturday at 3 o'clock" she called to me as she started walking away.

Wow, I really needed my coffee after that encounter. I can't believe she has that much energy. Off to my class to go learn nothing of use to me for any field I wanted to work in.

********************************************

The week went by uneventfully with only one run- in with Edward. Unfortunately he was heading to a class so all we managed was a hello.

Needless to say I was bummed. I thought that the tour day had gone so well.

Maybe this weekend would be awkward since Edward might be with us. He obviously didn't have very strong feelings for me.

Saturday rolled around and I called Alice at 3:30 since I ended up sleeping late. She was pissed. I mean come on I was a half an hour late. It's not like we needed to go somewhere at 3:00.

She insisted that she was coming over to help me get ready for the night right away. Geez, how long could it possibly take?

As soon as she came barreling into my room I knew I was in for a long afternoon.

She took hours on my hair, making it completely straight and then curling the ends. I did have to admit it looked good, though. Then she did my eye makeup and made it all smoky which had a cool effect, it was just weird wearing that much stuff on my eyes.

Then she rummaged in my closet and picked out one of my dresses that was on the fancy side, and told me to wear tights with them. Luckily she put me in flat boots since I hated the blisters that heels gave me.

Finally she said it was time to meet the others at the restaurant.

She told me her friend Rosalie and her boyfriend Emmett would be there as well as her boyfriend Jasper. She said Edward wouldn't be there because he had a date that night.

I immediately tensed up. What? He had a date? Maybe that was why he hadn't made much of an effort to see me. I was sad to admit that it hurt more than I cared to come to terms with.

It's okay Bella, Alice will introduce you to others. This was my only reassurance.

I did notice that when Alice mentioned Edward's date she said it with distaste. But I didn't let myself hope it was with some skank. Edward had too much class and probably had some perfect, intelligent girl who was pretty enough to stand by him.

We arrived at the restaurant first and sat down at our reserved table.

The dinner was kind of a blur to me because everyone was super nice and engaging. None of them made me feel like I wasn't apart of their apparent tight-knit group. I was completely comfortable around them.

Rosalie was admittedly extremely intimidating based solely on her looks. She was a goddess in human form. I would only say that Edward was more beautiful than she was. Emmett was huge but obviously kind. Jasper had a nice calming effect that balanced Alice out perfectly.

Everyone agreed that we would head down to a bar to get some drinks and see if the band they had featured was any good.

The place was packed with college students and young 20- somethings.

Alice and Rosalie immediately dragged me out to the makeshift dance floor. Fortunately for me, I didn't really care if I made a fool of myself since there was no one around I cared to impress.

Little did I know that someone was watching me intently, studying my every move.

I had to take a break and get water since apparently I wasn't equipped to handle that much dancing. Or maybe it was the crazy way Alice and Rosalie made me want to expend all my energy with them.

I made my way to the bar when I saw out of the corner of my eye a flash of bronze hair.

No. It couldn't be him.

He was sitting at a table with some short, brown haired girl who seemed to be chatting away while he had a somewhat uncomfortable look on his face.

Was this his date?

The petty side of me enjoyed his discomfort. Too bad he wasn't with all us having a great time. Okay, that's not the way I should be thinking.

I got my bottle of water and guzzled it down. I was trying to decide what my plan of action should be. Should I go over and talk to him?

What if he was enjoying the date and I was totally misreading him?

He shifted in his seat in an obvious sign of awkwardness.

Okay, this is it. I will do it.

I _can_ go over and talk to him.

So I went.

"Edward, hey what are you doing here?" I spit out.

It might have been my imagination but it seemed that when Edward noticed my presence his face visibly lit up. He composed himself quickly.

"Actually, I'm with Jessica right now. We were just discussing… her opinion on shopping on the East Coast versus the West Coast" he answered back, definitely trying to keep a straight face.

"Well, I had to interrupt because Alice really needs you right now," I pulled out the first thing that came into my head.

He looked confused for a second, but then it seemed to dawn on him.

"Oh, she needs me? I better not keep her waiting. She's quite scary when you don't do what she wants." He looked imploringly at skan- Jessica. I tried to redirect my vicious thoughts.

"But, it's just your cousin. Doesn't she know we are on a date?" Jessica asked with a tone of bitchiness to it I might add.

"Yes she does, so it must be important" Edward reasoned.

"Yeah, she seemed pretty upset," I added in.

I boldly took Edward's hand and told him to follow me.

Once we were out of eye and ear shot, he pulled me up close to him and asked right in my ear if Alice really did need him.

I answered no, but that we had better find Alice before Jessica since Alice would probably look fine. We searched for her quickly and spotted her with Jasper towards the end of the bar.

As we approached them Alice looked up without a look of surprise on her face. It seemed like she knew something like this would happen.

I let it go for now, but explained the situation to her. She said she would leave with Jasper then, so that Jessica wouldn't be able to see her.

They flitted out of the bar, so in the back of my head I wondered where Emmett and Rosalie were. I just figured they had already left.

Most of my brain was now occupied with the fact that Edward was standing next to me since I had somehow kidnapped him away from Jessica.

I guess I was a little dazed because Edward had to tug on my hand and remind me that we had to get out of the bar quick.

I followed him wordlessly out to the street and down a couple blocks to the metro.

It finally occurred to me to ask where we were going.

"Well, since you so gallantly saved me back there from one of the worst dates ever, I thought I should take you somewhere cool" he replied. He seemed to have a twinkle in his eye like he was excited about what we were about to do.

"That is, if you want to go somewhere with me. We can just go back to Georgetown if you want" he added on hastily.

"NO, I will go with you" I interjected.

"Sweet, we just have to take a few stops on the red line" he explained to me.

Little did he know I would probably go anywhere with him if he asked. Cut it out Bella, the guy just had a date, albeit an awful one, but still. He probably didn't even think of you that way.

Except if he kept looking at me like he was now with those penetrating green eyes, I might accidentally on purpose jump him on this train.

"Thank you again for saving me," he broke the silence.

"No problem, just wanted to help a friend out," I responded; he seemed to tense at the term friend.

"I want you to know, that I really wanted to be there tonight. Alice told me you were all going out together. Unfortunately Jessica asked me out, and I didn't have the heart to tell her no."

That surprised me; I didn't know it was a pity date. Then again, it's not like he enjoyed it. My mood improved a bit, even though it was already pretty happy since I was with Edward.

I was alone once again with him. I never seemed to be able to get used to his beauty. And if I was being honest, I'm not entirely sure I wanted to get used to it.

"So, I couldn't help but notice you guys dancing back there" Edward said slyly.

I blushed and mumbled, "Oh, yeah, well Rose and Alice dragged me out there. I don't usually dance. I'm not very good."

"I don't believe that, it seemed like you three had every guy's attention in that place"

Did we? I honestly hadn't noticed.

"Well, we were with Rosalie, the epitome of beauty." I reasoned.

He smirked at me, while obviously thinking something that he wasn't voicing.

He stood up abruptly, letting me know it was our stop to get off.

I followed him off the train and into the night. Apparently we were close to the Potomac. We could go right up to the river.

He took my hand again, and we walked in silence until we stood right on the edge of it. There was a bit of grass so we decided to sit down.

The moon was out, and even though it was chilly, it was beautiful.

He said he felt bad that I was sitting on my nice dress, but I told him not to worry about it.

"You know, I don't think I mentioned this, but you look beautiful tonight" he said staring straight ahead at the river.

I blushed, "Thanks, Alice spent all afternoon on me practically."

"You normally look lovely though, you don't need all the hair and makeup. You are beautiful naturally also. But this change just brings out all your features more."

His compliments made my insides squirm.

"Thank you, you look nice too," I mumbled. I moved forward so my hair was a sort of curtain between us.

His finger guided my chin up to look at him. I was trying to avoid eye contact with him since I was blushing like crazy from his compliments and from me telling him I thought he looked good.

"Why are you hiding, aren't you used to compliments?" he seemed surprised.

"Umm, not really" I admitted.

He thankfully let it go. But now we seemed to be in a heated stare completely silent but focused. I stared into his green while he stared back into my brown.

I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I know I wanted him to kiss me. But I wasn't sure if that was what he wanted.

Our faces seemed to be magnetized as our faces seemed to pull together at an excruciating pace. Our faces automatically tilted to a side to prepare for the *crossed fingers* kiss.

I could feel his breath on me, we were so close. Finally, our lips touched with the lightest touch. We each went back about a centimeter, continuing to stay close, but to gauge the other person's reaction.

There was a second of breathing until BAM. We both went back in with force. The kiss quickly became heated and I felt his hands caress my hips and tug gently.

I wasn't completely sure what he wanted, but I took it upon myself to make us more comfortable by placing my knees on either side of his legs so I was straddling him.

This allowed me to grab his hot, sex hair between my fingers while he gripped my hips stronger.

He moaned into my mouth which made something click in my head. I leaned back a little to catch my breath and to read his face.

I didn't know him that well; he could just be looking for a lay. I hopped with my entire body that wasn't him, but I couldn't pretend it wasn't a possibility.

He stared at me confused for a second, until he just leaned into my neck and started to lick and suck at the skin there. I might add that him doing this made it exceedingly difficult to think straight.

"Wait" I said.

"Why" he mumbled in my neck

"I'm sorry this just isn't me. I don't go around hooking up with people I don't know well and I certainly don't have sex easily." I figured he should know right now that I wasn't going to sleep with him tonight if that was what he wanted. I didn't mention that I was still a virgin and I didn't plan to lose my virginity unless it was with someone extremely special.

He looked at me with concern in his eyes, "I wasn't trying to pressure you Bella, I just got carried away. I'm just extremely attracted to you."

That made me smile. Good, he wasn't a sleaze.

"Well that's a relief because I'm really attracted to you to. So I guess if I know you aren't expecting anything from me… we can back to this."

I boldly kissed him full on the lips, quickly getting back to my old rhythm. He was surprised for a second until he took over again. He held me by the waist until one of his hands snuck up around my back and into my hair to settle at the base of my neck.

We kissed until we needed air, but then he just moved back to my neck. This time I let him continue.

We weren't broken out of our spell until we heard some people walk by talking loudly. This clued us in that we were in public, and I am a firm disbeliever in PDA. I removed my legs from either side of his body and stood up.

I helped him up, but as soon as I caught sight of his hair I burst out laughing. The quick moment of me threading my fingers in his hair seemed to have messed it up even more. It was practically sticking everywhere, yet it still resembled something a model would style their hair like.

"I think I messed your hair up even more," I explained to Edward.

He brought his hand up to his hair to feel it and run his hand through it. I reached up to try to pat some of it down. It was useless.

"Oh well, I like it that way" I conceded.

"Really, now? I guess you will have to continue to mess it up like this" he replied.

I blushed at the thought that we would be partaking in these kinds of activities again. It made my insides warm.

"We should probably get back to school, it's getting pretty late" he said.

I nodded my assent.

We walked back to the metro holding hands. Once we sat down in the train, my fatigue really hit me. We sat next to each other on the almost deserted train. I leaned my head against his shoulder to close my eyes. He put his arm around me to make it more comfortable and I couldn't help but picture how we must look like to other people. Definitely like a couple. It made me happy that he was fine with looking like that in public. I was drifting in and out on the short metro ride. Once we got off, he led me with his arm still around me. I told him where my dorm was and he walked me back.

"I don't want to say good bye to you" he said earnestly.

"Don't worry; we can see each other soon. How about we set up another…" I fumbled with the word, not quite sure what to call it.

"A date? Will you go on a formal date with me Bella Swan," Edward teasingly finished.

"That would be lovely" I told him with a smirk back.

"Great, then are you busy tomorrow night?"

It made me beam that he wanted to see me and set up a date so soon.

"I think I can fit you into my schedule Mr. Cullen," I told him.

"Well how kind of you Miss Swan. How about we go to dinner downtown? We can go somewhere casual though since Alice made you dress up tonight" he reasoned.

"That sounds like an excellent idea."

"Then I will come get you here at 6:30," he told me.

"Perfect. And Edward, thanks for the great evening and being so understanding. Not many guys I know would have been as cool about it as you."

"No problem Bella, I would never intentionally hurt you. I hope you know that. And you made my crappy, boring evening into a fabulous one, merely by your presence. Thank you for rescuing me. I only hope I will be the one to gallantly save you next time. Not that I plan on needing to save you" he said with a twinkle in his beautiful green eyes.

"Alright then, it's time for me to go to sleep. I don't think I have had this much fun in a long time. Thanks again. And see you tomorrow."

I turned to open my door, but Edward's hand pulled on my wrist as he pulled me in for a kiss. His hands cupped my face as his warm lips moved over mine. It wasn't as heated as our previous one, but I still felt the warming inside my body.

It lasted for about 30 seconds until we broke apart panting heavily.

"I should go" Edward rasped out.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea"

"I will see you tomorrow. Good night Bella, and sweet dreams" he said as he started backing out of the hallway still facing me.

"Night Edward"

I went into my dark room since my roommate was already asleep. I lay down on the bed to stare at the ceiling. I had not expected this turn of events tonight. Wow. I can't believe Edward and I kissed. And that passionately. It seemed my before dormant feelings for guys had changed drastically since meeting Edward. At least this time we had set up a formal date. If it wasn't so late, and I so tired, I might not have been able to go to sleep with everything replaying in my mind.

However, due to the late hour, I was passed out within minutes. My subconscious brain seemed to want to replay the events from the night though, since my dreams were focused solely on Edward and me. And most importantly our mind-blowing kiss. I must have had a smile on my lips the whole night.

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**So review please and tell me what you think. Tell me if you want to see anything special or if you want an EPOV. I kind of like staying in Bella's since it leaves some mystery to Edward, but I do enjoy knowing what he thinks. **


	4. Feeling the Pull

**Ahhhh finally writing again. But i doubt that will last very long. Thanks for reading, even if it's just my friends. **

**Twilight is not mine, but if it was, I would be married to Robert Pattinson by now. **

I woke up feeling like I had the best dream ever thought of during a REM cycle. Yup, Edward kissing me.

Wait.

That was real.

Sweet.

And then I remembered I had a date with him set for later tonight. Boo yah, inner fist pump.

Hmmm, now I have to get through the whole day without checking the clock every 15 minutes. Ah well, I'm going on a date with Edward Cullen, I think I'm allowed to anticipate all I want.

Well since I'm going out I should probably finish my homework due tomorrow since it was only my first semester. No need to get behind that quickly.

I booted up my laptop and decided to skip breakfast and wait til lunch. I worked until my stomach was too loud to ignore and ran down to the cafeteria for a sandwich.

When I finished my reading for my American Lit class, it was already 5:00. Bollocks, I still needed to shower. Angela had been in and out of the room all day and wondered why I was suddenly freaking out.

"Dude, what are you looking for?" she asked me.

"I can't find my favorite bracelet. It's been through so much with me. I need my Disneyland one for my date," I responded exasperatedly.

"I'm sure you put it somewhere logical and not at the bottom of your sock drawer. And who is the date with? Someone you actually want to be on a date with?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

I blushed and answered, "Yeah, it's with Edward Cullen".

"Holy Shit, the sophomore sex god? I am so jealous. What are you secrets? Scratch that, let me help you get ready and then you can tell me details after. Like describing his tongue" she had a creepy grin on her face with a far off look.

"Um, Angela, you're a freak. And I can already say his tongue is delightful," I turned around so she wouldn't see my goofy grin.

"WHAT!" she screeched. "How did I not know about this?"

"It was late last night, you were already asleep. And I didn't think you could be so girly about it. Sheesh Angela, you disappoint me," I told her cheekily.

"Um, have you looked at Edward? He could make me turn into a man if I found out he was gay! Okay, probably not, but nonetheless he is gorgeous woman!"

"I get it, I know. Now please tell me I won't have to lock you in the closet when he comes here to get me" I implored her with my eyes to calm down.

"I'll be good, don't worry. Besides, it's not like I have to impress him since you already seemed to have got him," she spoke in a way that I wasn't threatened at all by her. I knew she was happy for me, she just also appreciated how attractive he was. I was certainly not going to fault her for that.

"Alright, I'm showering," I ran out before she could distract me with her sexy Edward talk.

It was only 5:30 when I finished with my shower so I put on some jeans and boots with a fancier- than- a -T-shirt- but -not- really -a- blouse and threw a cardigan over it so I wouldn't get cold. Angela had gone back to reading so I thought to pass the time I could break out some _Pride and Prejudice _to pass the time.

I had just wanted to read the Netherfield Ball scene and right as Caroline was giving advice to Elizabeth there was a knock at my door.

I looked at Angela and we shared a silent girl scream. Okay, time to reign in the inner fangirl and act normal tonight.

I got up to answer the door and almost gasped out loud with how delicious Edward looked. He was wearing jeans and converse with a T-shirt and a cardigan. Almost like me.

I smiled brightly and noticed the way his eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Hey," he said in his smooth voice.

"Hi," I kind of squeaked back.

He smirked and I retaliated with a shove in his gut and, "Shut up, you know the affect you have on me".

He looked past me into my room and noticed Angela on my bed. I could tell she was trying to not smile hugely. I turned toward her and said, "This is my roommate Angela".

"Hi, nice to meet you," he gave his way-too-handsome smile.

"Hello," she dazedly answered him.

I suggested we get going, secretly doing it so Angela wouldn't start to hyperventilate.

"So where are we going?" I asked curiously.

"It's a place I discovered with my parents. It's by the Capitol Building. It's called Cafe Berlin, I hope you like German food," he winked at me and I think I died a little inside. Who looks cute winking? Isn't it a move people learn at sleazy school?

"Yeah, I love German food. And that area is really pretty. We can walk the mall after," I tried to be subtle about how I wanted to continue the date. I think he caught on though because he smirked at me. But, who cares because he agreed with me.

We took the metro down to the mall stop and since it was crowded, he grabbed my hand so we wouldn't get separated. And lucky for me he didn't drop it when we emerged from the underground.

"So I've been thinking about something all day that I can't get out of my head. Do you think you could help me out with my problem," he asked cryptically.

"Sure... what do you need help with," I asked him while we walked, each of us facing the front.

"Great," he answered and stopped which tugged me back since I was still walking.

He moved his free hand up to my face to cup my cheek and leaned in for a kiss that was short but magnificent. You know that saying where a kiss can hold promise of even greater kisses later in the night? Well, now I knew what that meant.

"What was that for?" I asked a few seconds after the kiss had ended since I was dazzled into silence a bit.

"I told you, I had been thinking about wanting to do it all day. I couldn't wait till after dinner. I'm not that patient I'm afraid," he said with a wolfish grin. I couldn't help but giggle at his corniness.

"Well, I guess I can't argue with that logic," I smiled up at him and he squeezed my hand in response.

Once we reached Cafe Berlin, which was to the left of the Capitol Building with an outside patio, Edward was ever the gentleman and pulled my chair out for me.

"How are you like this? Like respectful to girls and all kind?" I asked. He really did seem too good to be true. His raw sex appeal also helped obviously.

"Well, between you and me," he leaned in across the table like he was telling me the secret ingredients to Dr. Pepper, "My mother raised me right."

I raised my eyebrows, unwilling to believe he's that ridiculously perfect.

"Actually, to tell you the truth, I wasn't the best person I could've been in high school, and I kind of regret taking advantage," he looked sheepish. That got me curious.

"What do you mean? Please tell me you weren't the man whore of the whole school," I started to get a little worried, since he probably could have gotten any girl he wanted.

"No, I just liked to play games with them a little. See how far girls would act crazy just if I smiled at them," he seemed ashamed. "And then I realized how awful that was, mostly because my mom caught me getting a free slice of pie at the diner I always went to".

I blinked at him and then burst into laughter.

"That's it. Jeez, I was expecting you got caught with her best friend in bed or something. Hmm, maybe I've heard about too much Desperate Housewives," I mused.

"Well, are you annoyed I seem so respectful of you?" he asked me.

"Absolutely not. I told you how impressed I was last night," I blushed just thinking about it and looked down at my hands in my lap.

He said with a soft voice how much fun he had the previous night and smiled shyly once I looked up.

"So, let's do the awkward and fun first date questions since I've never actually experienced them," I changed the subject so I wouldn't turn into a tomato since it was really hard thinking about our make-out session without becoming hot and bothered. Or think about what we might do later that night...focus, questions now.

"Okay, let me think of a good one. How about, tell me about yourself. Is that annoyingly general for you?" he laughed.

"Hmm, alright. I live alone with my dad. He always has a beer in his hand when he's home and it's usually when he's in front of the TV watching his baseball games. He's the chief of police in Forks. I was always quiet growing up and didn't bother making many friends since I always was reading. I've wanted to go to Georgetown for a really long time but I'm afraid to say it was because when I was reading a teen book, the really great guy from it who I fell in love with went there. So it wasn't entirely logical. Now my taste in books is centered around the classics and well-written literature. Your turn".

"Hold up, your father is a cop? Awesome," he said with a scared look on his face.

"Don't worry, he's all bark and no bite," I got immense pleasure from the fact that he was thinking about meeting my dad, which meant that he probably was interested in me on some sort of serious level.

Once he got over that bit of information he continued with his story, "I'm from Seattle my whole life. My mom is an interior designer and my dad is a doctor. I played soccer growing up while Alice came to the games to check out my hot friends. You already know I wasn't exactly respectful with the girls I knew,but to be fair they were all pretty silly and focused on hooking up with the hottest guys. Having Alice as a twin meant that I didn't have to do any shopping for myself but I always insisted only my jackets could be expensive. The rest were T-shirts and flannels that I actually felt comfortable in. My favorite book is _Gulliver's Travels_ because I think it's hilarious and my favorite band is either Radiohead or Kings of Leon".

"Seriously? You're a Radiohead fan too? What's your favorite album. And be careful what you choose, because you can tell a lot about a person from their favorite Radiohead album," I tried to tell him ominously even though I was really curious.

"Tough question. But I would probably have to say The Bends. Does that pass your test?" he asked me earnestly. I loved how he really seemed to care what I thought. It made me like him more.

"Absolutely, I always waffle between The Bends and Kid A as my favorite. It depends on what mood and style I'm in," I smiled at how happy I was that he liked my favorite bands. We continued to talk about music throughout our food coming and into dessert. I gave him a couple of recommendations like The Frames and The Dead Weather while he told me to listen to Band of Skulls and The Black Keys.

When we walked out of the restaurant he grabbed my hand again and steered me to a small park a couple hundred yards away. We walked to a bench where he sat down and pulled me next to him. My entire right side was pressed up against his left, exactly as he intended.

He turned to me and whispered, "How do you feel about PDA?"

"I hate it," I responded.

He leaned so close to my ear that when he spoke, I could feel his lips on my earlobe, "That's too bad. But it's only public if there are people around. And I can't seem to see anyone".

If I didn't know any better, I would think he was trying to coerce me into rethinking that opinion. Except I might be okay with that now that I think about it.

His mouth was making a trail of feather light kisses along my ear and down to my neck. I think I might have whimpered it felt so good, but I wasn't positive of any of my actions. He was sensuously sucking on my neck and to be honest, I was surprised I even remembered the word sensuous to describe it.

My mind snapped into sensitivity overdrive and I was able to move my body toward him. This didn't really stop him from kissing my neck, but he did mutter if what he was doing was okay. The only thing I did to answer him was to grab his face and mash my lips against his.

Probably not exactly what he was expecting in response, but I think he was fine with the way things were headed. We were now turned toward each other, each with the others hair fisted into our hands and making out close to the way we had been the previous night.

Luckily I had the head to stop it before it became a straddle session, and I was grateful for my power of self-control because right as we caught our breath, A young family walked past on their way to the train station.

Edward and I looked at each other and laughed. Close call. He grabbed my arm and nestled it in his as we followed the family to the train station. He suggested we go back to his place for some privacy and _30 Rock_. Honestly, I didn't even need Liz Lemon as an excuse to follow him home.

He lived in an apartment right next to campus with Jasper and Emmett, but fortunately for us, they were out partying with Alice and Rose. How they did it when they had classes the next day was beyond me. Then again, I was staying out late, too.

He pulled me over to the couch where he popped in Season 3 of 30 Rock where I made him play the flu shot one since I wanted to See Liz awkward dance.

It seemed like he watched me for most of the show since every time I caught him looking at me, he would just smile and chastely kiss my lips. It's not like I was going to say no to that.

At the end of the show, he reclined back on the couch and yawned.

"I'm pretty tired, and I should probably get going so you can get a good nights sleep," I told him.

"Well, you can sleep here if you don't want to walk back," he hesitantly said. I raised my eyebrows at him since he knew I wasn't that kind of girl. "Just to sleep. I promise. No funny business. I will sleep on the couch," he reassured me.

He looked so comfortable leaning back on the arm of the couch that I basically climbed on him to lean against his chest and look up at him.

"I really want to say you can sleep in the bed with me, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. How about you sleep in Jasper's bed? You mentioned he was staying at Alice's tonight. I really don't want you to be uncomfortable," I told him honestly.

"I knew there was a reason I wanted to keep you around. You're so smart. Come on, I'll give you some old clothes to sleep in," he said while turning away from me toward his room. But not before I caught a smirk, and I guessed it had something to do with how much men like seeing women in their clothing. I smiled to myself as I followed him to his room.

"I had a great time again, Edward" I said, "And thanks for letting me crash here. And for being a gentleman about it."

"No problem," he smiled as he gave me an old high school soccer shirt of his and some boxers.

"I want you to know how much fun I have with you," I spoke to him while I crept closer to him. I trapped him against his dresser and stood on my tip toes to give him the sexiest kiss I knew how. Which probably wasn't amazing but I think he got my point.

He actually squeaked out that he would see me in the morning and to have a good sleep. Ha! I got Edward to squeak. Success. I called good night after him and shut the door. I didn't want him hearing me talk in my sleep.

As I lied down in his soft bed that amazingly smelled just like him, I was overjoyed with how well things were progressing between us. And so naturally. I never thought I would be this comfortable in a relationship. As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about how much I wanted to move farther along in our physical relationship. And also how ready I felt about it.

**Thanks for reading people. I hope you liked it. It would really help if more people reviewed. Please. I am not beneath begging. Figuratively of course. So pretty pretty please with Rob Pattinson kisses on top will you drop me a line? Love all you readers! And I can say that since I don't actually know you. tehe**


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